Lookonline.com is the longest running fashion site on the Internet. Published since 1994.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Day 6: Reviews & NotesMichael Kors

(Photos by Mark Mainz)

Michael Kors first made a name for himself as a sportswear designer, not only in the United States where sportswear was dominant, but also in Europe, where it had no special cachet. But for a while sportswear or the casual look had a run in Paris too.

Kors didn't stop developing, however, and the news this season is that he has gone far beyond the sweaters, jackets, blouses, pants and vests that once were his signature. There are now soft and lively flower prints, many arresting (but not flashy) colors and, best of all sequin, dresses. It is a well rounded collection.

The dresses are a high note. Though there is no lack of spangles in many collections today. The Kors styles are simple, mainly shifts, with cape-back collars and other unobtrusive details for interest. The hand that made his sportswear wearable but not fussy continues its work with dressy clothes. So there are no big, swathing skirts or elaborate draped effects. It is possible to dress, for evening without resorting to complex designs that are difficult to wear and often look unruly.

One of the prettiest is a lemon-colored shift that glows like sunshine. But there are more familiar all black styles as well. The beige styles from his sportswear days have not vanished, but they are paired with purple flower prints, for instance. And jackets are embellihed with fur accents, such as stoles or collars. Muted shades like olive and smoke also appear along with the lilac and purple tones.

What is especially impressive is that a sportswear designer has been able to transfer his technique to dressy clothes without losing his skill for making designs that do not envelope the wearer in elaborate dressmaking details. His sequin sheaths are as calm and satisfying looking as his cashmere cardigans.

-Bernadine Morris

Anna Sui

(Photos by Frazer Harrison)

Anna Sui is to the fashion world what tropical fruits are for theNorthern hemisphere: unusual for many, full of colors and flavor forall, "something different". Not everyone likes tropical fruits. Butthey give out a sense of warmth and needed energy, no matter howdreary the day might be.

With no less than 54 designs, Anna Sui showed once again her amazinggift for creating clothes that are a jolt of intensity and vibrancy inan otherwise subdued palette of colors and textures as seen throughoutthe course of Fashion Week Fall 2008 . No other designer matched therefined and exquisite explosion of colors she gave the audienceviewing her Fall collection: it was all an amazing display ofcreativity. Miss Sui's constant quest for deep cultural knowledge hasled her to give us today a presentation of a folk inspired collectionthat works perfectly with her love for vintage clothing and a keensense for trendsetting that makes her always ahead of times, one thatmany in the fashion world look at for direction.

Precise and intricate accents were found in each of the 54 designs:flowers, velvet feathers, beaded work on dresses, iridescent fabrics,multi metallic lame fabrics, refined embroideries, patchwork details,jacquard, it was all there, a shower of refreshing and colorfulenergy.The use of true pigments in the fabrics used made for a displayof colors like never before, even in Anna Sui's previous collections."Angelika" showed the beautiful combination of bold teal andin-your-face-orange, something seldom seen in fashion. The pursesseen were as colorful as the clothes, with long fringes reinforcingthis bohemian-gone-to-town look.

Ultramarine was at its purest expression as were teal, purple, violetand plum. The richness was to be found in the use of either plain orburnout velvet (I counted 31 different pieces of clothing made of thisfabric) of the darkest black that helped ground almost every design ingiving out the desired effect that Miss Sui likes the most: a chicbohemian look with just the right touch of elegance and good taste.There was no distinct difference to be found between day and eveningwear. The designer leaves it to the wearer to take the bold step to goout there and blend borders that, after all, have become dated and notreally needed nowadays.

Miss Sui is gifted in the sense that only she seems capable ofcreating clothes that, despite their intensity and their richness, arealluring and make the women who wear them seem uplifted and be anuplifting sight to others. This time again, the clothes hung perfectlyon each of the models sporting them, a true testament to the fact thatAnna Sui is also a great technician that knows exactly how a designshould be tailored to fit. As a result, the clothes and their lush,rich mix become living and pulsating frames that surround perfectlythe women wearing them. This was a constant fact through the wholecollection.

Today's runway show was like an epiphany, the result of a continuousand successful growth, the growth of Miss Sui's own creativeexpression as well as her success as a fashion designer. She has ahuge number of devoted and exclusive customers/fans, and has succeededin becoming a cult brand in a very few number of years. Each season,her runway show is one of the most anticipated and draws crowds. AnnaSui's collections are sold in over 30 countries, the proof of anextraordinary and well deserved success for the girl from Detroit wholaunched her brand name in 1980 and who, for years, worked out of herapartment.

Seen in the front row were Mr. Russell Simmons (co-founder of thepioneering hip-hop label Def Jam, a founder of Russell Simmons MusicGroup, and the creator of the clothing fashion line Phat Farm and thefragrance label Atman) as well as Ms. Ally Hilfiger, daughter of TommyHilfiger and who was once featured in the MTV reality show Rich Girls.

-Muriel Triffaut

Prada Party

Tuesday night was the screening of “Trembled Blossoms”, an original animated short, was unveiled Tuesday night in a private screening at the Prada Broadway Epicenter, the flagship store. This 4-minute film is an extension of an on going project of fashion designer, Miuccia Prada, in collaboration with architects, filmmakers, designers, and photographers.

In the Spring Summer 2008 Women’s collection that debuted in Milan last September, Miuccia integrated fabric design, a fashion show environment, site specific murals and photographic sets with the fashion show. What started as ink drawings that depict a lush landscape of flowers and nymphs evoking suggestions of Art Nouveau, Liberty, Audrey Beardsley and Heironymus Bosch have become fabric designs, wallpapers and now, an animated short. (A selection of wall papers is currently on display at the Architecture and Design gallery at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.)

This animated short is part of Prada’s commitment to experimental design. For the past 7 years, Miuccia Prada has commissioned temporary, architecture- specific wall papers, environments, short animations and interactive media for Prada Epicenters in New York, Beverly Hills and Tokyo. It is indeed admirable for a fashion designer to touch different forms of media, much like Paul Poiret during his time. Using cutting edge technology, the house of Prada is surely cementing its way into fashion and art history. That, or Prada is going Hollywood!

Great space. Great party. A good mix of people arrived around 10 p.m. to catch several screenings of the film. At 10:30 p.m., CocoRosie performed, while DJ Jeffrey Tonnesen spun music throughout the evening. Actors and actresses mingled with the cool fashion crowd - Angie Harmon, Dylan McDermot, Eric Murciano, Vincent Gallo, Amy Smart, Rose Mcgowan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Eliza Dushku, Paul Dano and Milla Jojovich

-Anna Bayle

R. Scott French

(Photos: Scott Gries)

Menswear designer, R. Scott French gives good fashion for guys. Maybe because French is the kind of man who only writes with a Sanford Uni-Ball Micro Pen (black, of course). The designer also believes that "the perfect color is one that, when looked at by 10 different people will be called 10 different names" and that "floral shirts and tartan plaids are two essentials in the modern man's wardrobe". Well, keeping these thoughts in mind, it is easy to see why French's perfectly stylized clothes, which were shown by a groovy group of "real" models and "model" hopefuls from the Bravo's, "Make Me A Supermodel" and FUSE TV's "The Sauce", made such a statement on Sunday's runway presentation.

Catering to a broad array of well-heeled, upwardly mobile, young (and older, we'd like to think), gentlemen (professional to rockstars), French served up something for everyone. Three separate collections - Richard Harris Felt, Ltd., R. Scott French - had their place and really did the trick,showing everything from well-crafted, classically tailored, haute luxe separates, shirts, suitings and outerwear, straight through to over-the-top groupings, which focused on clothing featuring surprises, such as lots of mismatched color, unque shape, silhouette, patterns and lots and lots of esoteric detailing. Here, eye-popping hues, short, cropped pants, trousers, a sarong or two, wild jackets and toppers and some really cool tuxedo renderings totally hit the mark.

Overall, these are super clothes for guys from a designer who believes that the "perfect orange is Pantone #021C". Oh and by the way, French's goody bags, which were neatly placed under each guest's seat. were nifty. Set within a perfectly fun khaki green tote bag (which this editor has been carrying around the shows ever since receiving it), the bag shows lots of catchy sewn-on "stickers". Inside, just the right amount of usable "gifts", such as a great music CD, some men's grooming products and coupons for grooming "freebies" from well-known salons around town, and an interesting, new men's magazine, added up to a very nice little "thank you for attending the show" from French to those buyers and editors that made it to the show.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Featured Post

The 2018 "New" Best Dressed List Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez The notion of ‘Best Dressed’ is elusive and highly subjective. I...

E-mailed Newsletter: Get every new post sent directly to your in box

Exclusive Sponsor

We’re pleased to welcome Talbots as the premiere exclusive sponsor of Wednesdays at Michael’s by Diane Clehane and salute the company’s mission to empower women in all aspects of their lives.
Through their relationships and carefully curated product lines, Talbots strives to give women the confidence to express their best selves in all aspects of their lives – every day. Fundamentally, Talbots believes that the better we do, the more we can do to positively impact the lives of women.

Support our site

Become a supporting member of our site for a one time contribution of only $59. Click
here and become a member. Our site has been up for 23 years and we depend upon the "kindness of strangers".

New York Market Reports

Marilyn Kirschner our editor-in-chief and former senior Market Editor of Harper's Bazaar for many years reports on the Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer New York collections for every season going back over 15 years. These kinds of reports are found no where else and are offered free to our readers. Additional past commentary was written for us by Bernadine Morris the former senior fashion writer of the New York Times.
Click here for the latest fall/winter 2018 report and links to all the other past reports..

About Me

Lookonline.com is the longest publishing online fashion site in the world. It was launched first as a BBS service in 1993 and has been on the Internet since December 1994. The DFR: Daily Fashion report is also the first fashion blog and was started in early 2002 as the site's main news page. Before launching the site, I was for many years a New York fashion photographer.